A spicy South Indian Style Mushroom Pepper Fry that makes for a quick and tasty dinner or an evening snack!
Do you like mushrooms? No, I mean do you LOVE mushrooms like we do? We made Burnt Garlic Mushroom fried rice last month and OD-ed on it. And we can never get enough of mushrooms, so here’s my South Indian Style Mushroom Pepper Fry. Honestly, Denver and I were just digging into this dish even before we sat down for lunch.
This mushroom pepper roast is spicy because we loooove pepper and always put lots of it. The tangy tomato paste that goes into it gives the dish an acidic hit. And this is a super-fast mushroom recipe, it literally takes about 15 minutes to put it all together. And we’re in mushroomy umami paradise. Here’s how to make a south Indian style mushroom pepper roast that you can eat for lunch, snack, and dinner! Or breakfast - pepper mushrooms on toast?
The South Indian Touch
In south India, pepper roast chicken and other meat is supremely popular. Here’s the key to getting that distinct south Indian pepper roast flavour: First, of course, generous amounts of pepper which gives the heat and second, a handful of fresh curry leaves or kari patta added in the tempering does the trick. Try this recipe with chicken or any other red meat of choice, and you’ll see that the pepper and the curry leaves are what make this dish YUM-MAZING.
How To keep Mushrooms Juicy
I hate soggy mushrooms, the texture is not very appetising. Mushrooms should remain plump and juicy at the end of the cooking process. And for the longest time, I hadn’t realised that this was a heat control thingy. We are wiser now 😂 You have to cook the mushrooms on high flame until they’re done so that they caramelise and retain their juiciness.
The Spices - there’s no room for boring!
There is no bland version of this recipe, LOL. We love adding generous amounts of freshly ground pepper, even if it means our tongues are on fire. The heat comes from the pepper, not from the chillies that are added to the tempering. I recommend using freshly ground pepper for this recipe because pre-ground pepper powder invariably loses it’s freshness and hit of spice.
Another variation of this dish is to generously add lemon juice at the very end, once the mushrooms are cooked. Makes for a perfect rainy day snack!
Guys, try this mushroom recipe as is, or with the meat of your choice. You could eat it with:
- Malabar Parottas (make these at home, or buy the frozen ones), OR
- Rasam and rice
Wash it all down with a cold beer and take a solid nap. What a day 🙂
More Mushroom Recipes
- Burnt Garlic Mushroom Fried Rice
- Parmesan Mushroom Sauce
- Vegetarian Gravy with Mushrooms
- Chicken Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce
- Spinach Mushroom Stuffed Chicken
- Creamy Mushroom Soup
- Portobello Mushroom Tacos
- Mushroom Aglio Olio
Watch Mushroom Pepper Fry Recipe Video
South Indian Mushroom Pepper Fry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1.5 teaspoons chopped Ginger
- 1.5 teaspoons chopped Garlic
- 8-10 Curry Leaves
- 2-3 dried Red Chillies
- 1 medium Onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
- ½ teaspoon Chilli Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ¾ teaspoon ground Black Pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 600 grams (6.25 cups) Mushrooms washed and cut in half, refer note 1
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large kadhai or wok. Add mustard seeds, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, dried red chillies and stir fry for two minutes till you can start smelling all the aromatics.
- Add onions and cook till translucent. Add tomato paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder and garam masala and cook the tomato paste for 2-3 minutes on high heat till you can see oil droplets around the sides.
- Add the mushrooms, pepper and salt and cook on high heat, tossing regularly for a few minutes till the mushrooms leave water and reduce slightly in size. Cooking on high heat prevents them from becoming soggy. Once the mushrooms are cooked, turn off the heat and serve.
Video
Notes
- Use fresh mushrooms, I used button mushrooms. Make sure you thoroughly clean the mushrooms. If necessary, soak the mushrooms in water along with 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar. Rinse, cut and use.
- Do not cut the mushrooms well in advance as they will start to lose moisture. Cut and use immediately. If the mushrooms are very big, then cut it in quarters. If it is very small, use them whole.
- Use freshly ground black pepper in place of store bought pepper powder. You can also dry roast the black pepper for 1-2 minutes before grinding, this will give it an extra kick.
- Prepare this dish ready to serve as mushrooms will start to leave water when stored for long time. It tastes best when freshly made and the mushrooms still have a certain crunch.
Tony Letheren says
Tastes awesome - I have always loved mushrooms, this is one dish finally I can eat to myself and one that's not too heavy either!
Dee says
What an absolute amazing, delicious and super doable recipe! Thank you for sharing this delightful recipe with all of us:)
Lee pinto says
Tried this recipe today Richa and it was super yummy. Thank you
Tania says
This was so tasty! I added some bell pepper as I had some to use up and the flavours were amazing. There was some spice but not too much. Will definitely make again!
Alicia says
I’m not one to leave reviews, but these were so good! Easy enough that a novice indian cook Canberra make them too.
Richa says
Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe Alicia
R3skiddo says
I finally found a mushroom recipe that all 3 of us liked! We used shiitake mushrooms and followed the recipe to a T. It was lip smacking. So much so that we used the base recipe for shrimp at dinner 😀
This will be going into our recipe rotation. Something other than fried rice/soup/pasta to use mushrooms in. Thanks!
Richa says
Thank you so much. So happy you enjoyed this!
The recipe is super versatile.
Diana Komal says
I just cooked it. The mushroom recipe is delicious.
Richa Gupta says
So simple and satisfying, right? Thanks Diana!
Nancy says
I love this recipe..
Richa Gupta says
Hi Nancy! This dish is as south Indian as it can get. We're happy you liked it!
Kavya shetty says
Tried it today.. In tasted awesome ..
Keep it up
Shaz says
This was so easy to make and super tasty. Thank you for sharing. I just made it 🙂
Richa Gupta says
Hey Shaz! Glad you liked this mushroom pepper fry recipe. Stay tuned for more mouthwatering recipes!
Reeta says
Wow amazing, food looks delicious. What kind of pan are you using? Brand ??
Richa says
Thanks Reeta, its a stainless steel Kadhai from a brand called Vinod
Theresa says
I found this really easy and delicious! Great with parotta 👍🏻
Richa says
Thank you so much Theresa! So glad you liked it
Siddhi says
Omg I can't wait to try this. Is there a substitute for tomato paste? Can I use fresh tomatoes?
Richa says
Heeeeeey! You can use double the amount of tomato puree
Andrea D'Souza says
Love the juicy mushrooms from the masala. The flavours it brings out is on point. A simple and quick recipe makes it perfect every time. Thanks Richa.
Richa Gupta says
That's what My Food Story is all about! Thanks Andrea 🙂
Annapurnaspices says
Hey I like to read all your recipes. This recipe looks good and delicious. I am gonna try it once. Moreover it has good nutrition value. Keep sharing more and more recipes. You can try some spicy taste for your food with our variety of spices at https://annapurnaspices.com.
Desicart says
What a fabulous recipe! So easy and tasty! I’ll definitely be making this one again!
Thank you so much for the recipe!